Two Snowstorms & a Cross-Quarter Day

Right now, looking out my window, the remains of what is being called the Blizzard of 2022 are all over my yard, the neighborhood, and still a part of the roads the plows weren’t able to pick up. Around the Southern New England area, we received as much as two feet, with some gale-force winds blowing the snowfall sideways, and, the temperatures all around the area teasing around the single digits.

For many, this storm brought us back to February 6, 1978, when a “light snow” stopped moving, dropping way over two feet all over Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The snow came so fast, that many people found themselves stranded in their cars, which littered the freeways. Over 3,000 cars were counted on Rhode Island highways alone. Many couldn’t leave their workplaces, schools, or stores: Those who found themselves stuck in grocery stores were the luckiest. With the National Guard racing to our aid, we were finally back to normal a week later.

The unique side of these two storms is that this year’s took place four days before Groundhog Day, while 1978 happened four days after. February 2nd, when we celebrate the famed cuddly mammal, is actually one of the four cross-quarter days, the day marking the middle of a season. According to legend, the first day of the season to the cross-quarter day marks the main force of the seasonal weather, culminating in the middle of it. Afterwards, the season is expected to slow down, in anticipation of the change to whichever season is to come.

Although our famed groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, is believed by his handlers to accurately predict the rest of the winter season, the weather services state he’s closer to 39%. This year’s storm came before Phil could let us know what to expect. I tried to go back in time to learn whether he predicted our 1978 blizzard, but couldn’t seem to find it. Perhaps he wasn’t as accurate as his handlers believed he was that year, and squelched his result.

Whichever prediction we receive this year, we have to remember: This is only temporary. Within six weeks, we will begin the new season of spring. Sorry, Phil, we may listen to you, with tongue in cheek, but we’ll take Nature’s cycle over you, whatever it may bring us.